BuzzHouse: A Baker Tilly Podcast

On this episode of BuzzHouse, host Don Bernards sits down with Gina Ciganik , the CEO of Habitable to discuss the critical role of sustainable and healthy building practices in the housing industry. Diving into the environmental and health impacts of commonly used building materials, Gina shares insights from her organization's research, emphasizing the shift from harmful products to more sustaina...

For this episode of Buzzhouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson fly solo to provide some timely news updates about what’s going on around the multifamily housing industry. Together, they cover current issues including an update on historics, the NLIHC’s “The Gap” report, the retirement of HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, a public housing update and more! Press play and discover this informative an...

Senior government relations advisors at Butler Snow LLP , J. Carley Butler and Esme Thoman sit down with hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson on this episode of BuzzHouse. Together, they take a deep dive into the creation of Texas’ low-income housing tax credit program (LIHTC), offering valuable insights into the legislative and regulatory process, the need for state tax credit legislation and th...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with the founding partner of Norris George & Ostrow PLLC, R. Wade Norris as he breaks down the complexities of municipal bond markets and how low rates and massive inflows have shaped tax-exempt bond funds in recent years. Press play and discover this informative and enlightening episode! Follow Us Twitter @BakerTillyUS F...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Dyke Nelson , the founder and managing partner of DNA Workshop . Dyke provides an in-depth analysis on various aspects of office to residential conversions, from construction costs to timelines and the implementation of energy-efficient features. Press play and discover this informative and enlightening episode! Foll...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Matt Paschall , national program manager of DevelUP . Matt previews the third annual DevelUP Conference in Chicago, on April 17th and 18th, 2024, highlighting the goals of the conference, what attendees can expect, the various panel discussions, who is sponsoring the conference and more. Press play and check out this...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson discuss the latest trends and insights from the multifamily housing industry’s fourth quarter of 2023. Plus, Don and Garrick provide a construction pricing update, offer key takeaways around the multifamily real estate sector at large and more. Listen in to find out what can be learned from recent events as we kick off 2024! Follo...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Rob Hazelton , founder and chief executive officer of Dominion Due Diligence Group . The three discuss the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) awarding process, the importance of benchmarking, what’s coming next under the IRA and more. Press play and take a listen to this informative episode! Follow Us Twitte...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Emily Cadik , Chief Executive Officer of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition (AHTCC). The three discuss the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2023, including: how did we get here, what’s happening now, what's next and some details within the legislation. Press play and take a listen to this insight...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Brian Fishback, Director of Credit for Red Stone Equity Partners. The three discuss Red Stone’s preservation housing fund, including where the idea came from, what type of assets they look for, the effect of interest rates and more. Press play and take a listen to this fascinating episode! Follow Us Twitter @BakerTil...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson look back at the monumental moments from the multifamily housing industry in 2023! Together, they review their favorite topics that had the biggest impact over the year and share some exciting updates in the affordable housing industry. Hit play and enjoy this episode! Follow Us Twitter @BakerTillyUS Facebook @BakerTillyUS Instagr...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson discuss trends and insights on the multifamily housing industry’s third quarter of 2023. Don and Garrick explore topics such as changes in construction pricing, dealing with the pressure of rate hikes, what we’ve seen come from the White House on housing and the biggest takeaways from the third quarter report. Listen in to find ou...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Founder Emily Ramsey and Director John Cramer of Ramsey Historic Consultants (RHC), a Chicago-based historic preservation consulting firm specializing in the research and evaluation of properties for historic preservation financial incentives. Together, the group speaks on the importance of preserving historic buildi...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Ed Malaspina, CEO and president of the HAI Group, an experienced affordable housing insurance group.  The three discuss what’s at the root of recent premium increases in affordable housingt and new trends that are coming down the pipeline. Press play, and take a listen to this insightful episode! Follow Us Twitter @B...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson are joined by Vihar Sheth, Managing Director at U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance, to discuss low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) market-driven opportunities and challenges. The group also discusses Inflation Reduction Act credits in recent deals, where the equity market stands today, struggles with getting deals closed and more! Clic...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Jenna Louie, the Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer of Ivory Innovations, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to catalyzing innovative solutions in housing affordability. The trio touches what's new, creative and innovative in the multifamily space and they take a deeper look at the latest trends around afford...

Brent Maier, principal and Baker Tilly national real estate valuation and advisory leader, returns to the BuzzHouse podcast to provide trends and insights on the multifamily housing industry’s second quarter of 2023. Multifamily real estate is under pressure with the confluence of increasing expenses, higher capitalization rates and minimal rent growth impacting financial performance and driving d...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson are joined by David Gasson, Executive Director of the Housing Advisory Group. The group discusses what is going on in Washington DC surrounding the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, the new Biden-Harris administration Housing Supply Action Plan, HUD budget items, and more. This is an episode you surely do not want to miss...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Greg Byrne of Greg Byrne Consulting to discuss what Greg is seeing in the public housing repositioning space, primarily covering the supplement to the RAD Notice issued in July. Greg also shares insights from his 40 years of experience with public housing programs, such as working to bridge the gap between public hou...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson are joined by Reverend David Bowers and Tim Block from Enterprise Community Partners. Together, they discuss leveraging property owned by faith-based organizations.  David and Tim touch on the work they do in order to get faith-based organizations from “vision to construction to completion.” The group also discusses case studies,...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Jochai Ben-Avie, the Co-Founder and CEO of Connect Humanity. They discuss his company’s mission on providing holistic solutions to supply internet access for all and the means needed to participate fully in a digital society. Jochai talks about the issues within communities who lack internet access in a world that is...

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Don Bernards and Garrick Gibson are joined by the Chief Executive Officer of the Healthy Building Network, Gina Ciganik. Together, the trio sits down to discuss healthy building products, building options for developers of multifamily projects, and what it takes to cultivate a healthier environment. This includes the number one burning question: “What is the cos...

Allison King and Kent Neumann of the law firm Tiber Hudson, join BuzzHouse to discuss their new bond structuring solution, known as the ”cash-backed forward structure”. Allison and Kent share the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of this structure, as well as why the current yield curve makes the structure so appealing at this point in time. Plus, they dive into the details of how the stru...

Michelle Hanlin, Director with Baker Tilly’s Power, Renewables and Energy Practices, joins this episode of BuzzHouse to talk about the ever-trending Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Michelle dives into the multifamily provisions of the IRA, the intentions behind the legislation and specific case studies that provide better insights on its impacts and opportunities. She also shares how to determine i...

Rob Hazelton, CEO of Dominion Due Diligence Group, discusses the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP), and how it will impact HUD-assisted housing. Rob covers the components of the GRRP, as well as the program’s focus on making eligible projects more energy efficient and resilient to extreme weather events and natural disasters. They wrap up the discussion by sharing the important program d...